Continuous malting apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for automatically operating and regulating a continuous malting process is characterized in that the goods to be malted are continuously guided through a continuously operating malting plant with a constant drop weight, the drop weight being regulated to a predetermined value by a volumedosing device, the predetermined value being that of the completely filled container and preferably amounting to 1,200 kg./hour, whereupon in the wash section the actual temperatures of water introduced consecutively into a postwash, prewash and steeping vessel as well as the temperature of the lye in the lye wash are regulated to a preset temperature ranging between 8* and 35* C. and the concentration of the lye is regulated to a preset value of 0.1 to 1 percent, while in the soft-washing range, the measured temperatures of the moist goods are regulated to a preset temperature of about 14* C. and during germinating to a preset value of 18* to 20* C., while the water content in this section which determines the degree of softness of the goods is regulated to a preset value of 41 to 45 percent, whereupon in a curing section preferably divided into four zones the temperatures of dry air in the zones prior to their contact with the goods are set to 45*, 65*, 80* and 84* C., respectively, while the moisture contents in the last third of the zones are set to 20-22 percent, 10-12 percent, 6 percent and 4 percent.

United States atent [72] Inventors Gerhard Leue;

Klaus Marquardt; Arndt Lippmann; Burkhard ,laekel, all of Berlin, Germany [211 App]. No. 731,110 [22] Filed May 22, 1968 [45] Patented Oct. 26, 1971 [73] Assignee Forschungsinstitut fur die Garungsindustrie Enzymologie und technische Mikrobiologie Berlin, Germany [54] CONTINUOUS MALTING APPARATUS 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. C1. 195/128, 195/70, 99/278 [51] Int. Cl. C12b 1/02 [50] Field of Search 195/70, 71, 128, 129, 130; 99/50, 278

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 481,958 9/1892 Krause 195/128 2,998,351 8/1961 Stoddart et a1. 195/130X Primary Examiner-A. Louis Monacell Assistant Examiner-Gary M. Nath Attorney-Richards & Geier ABSTRACT: An apparatus for automatically operating and regulating a continuous malting process is characterized in that the goods to be malted are continuously guided through a continuously operating malting plant with a constant drop weight, the drop weight being regulated to a predetermined value by a volume-dosing device, the predetermined value being that of the completely filled container and preferably amounting to 1,200 kg./hour, whereupon in the wash section the actual temperatures of water introduced consecutively into a postwash, prewash and steeping vessel as well as the temperature of the lye in the lye wash are regulated to a preset temperature ranging between 8and 35C. and the concentration of the lye is regulated to a preset value of 0.1 to 1 percent, while in the soft-washing range, the measured temperatures of the moist goods are regulated to a preset temperature of about 14 C. and during germinating to a preset value of 18 to 20 C., while the water content in this section which determines the degree of softness of the goods is regulated to a preset value of 41 to 45 percent, whereupon in a curing section preferably divided into four zones the temperatures of dry air in the zones prior to their contact with the goods are set to 45, 65, 80 and 84 C., respectively, while the moisture contents in the last third of the zones are set to 20-22 percent, 10-12 percent, 6 percent and 4 percent.

INVENTORS G. LEUB K. MARQUARDT A. LIPPHANN B, JAEKEL lay 12 PATENTEDum 2 6 \sn SHEET 2 BF 3 Q& m mt Q a @Aw wm W INVENTORS G, LEUB HARQUARDT A, LIPPHANN I B. JAEKBL ATTORNEYS PATENTEDUCT 26 Ian SHEET 3 OF 3 INVENTORB G. LEUE K. HARQUARDT A. LIPPMANN B. JAEKBL BY/ ATTORNEYS CONTINUOUS MALTING APPARATUS This invention relates to a continuous malting process and apparatus and refers more particularly to a process for automatically operating and regulating a continuous malting process and to an apparatus for carrying out such process.

The usual procedure in a malt plant of the old type, as well as in a modern malt type, is to judge the individual phases of the malting process, which includes washing, softening, germinating and curing, by empiric observations or measurements and to proceed manually on their basis. Examinations in a laboratory are not particularly useful for the operation, since their results, particularly in the case of a continuous process, become available to the operators of a plant only at a time when possibly a large part of the goods has already been treated incorrectly, due to lack of knowledge of the earlier conditions. Thus in practice the corresponding adjustment of the technically required parameters by changing the operating conditions so as to produce the desired results depends essentially from the skill of the operators.

These drawbacks remain when certain measurements, such as those of the temperature, are indicated centrally, since the operational adjustment must still be made manually. F urthermore, the registering of the deviating parameters depends upon the extent of attention of the operators. If the operational deviation becomes known too late, a part of the goods must be treated in a different manner.

However, each deviation from the set values results in lack of uniformity in the malt which is being produced and thus results in loss in quality. Nonuniform malt is difficult to treat in the brewery and, in addition, the output and the quality of the beer are diminished, thereby detrimentally affecting the commercial value of the brewery. Furthermore, a manual operation of the process according to selected technical parameters, prevents an economically careful use of the means for the conditioning of the goods to be malted, namely the timely application of water, air and heat, as well as cooling, in the proper amounts.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the above described drawbacks by an extensive automation of the malting process.

Another object is to provide means which will permit a very precise retention of the selected technological parameters, whereby the parameters must remain uniform even in case of continuously changing conditions, particularly climactic conditions which change daily and according to seasons.

Other objects will become apparent in the course of the following specifications.

Thus the technical purpose constituting the basis of the present invention consists of finding the technology of the parameter determining a continuous malting process and to make certain that this parameter will be kept under all conditions by a corresponding automatic operation and regulation, whereby the parameters must be maintained uniform even during continuously changing conditions, particularly climactic conditions varying daily and according to seasons.

This purpose of the present invention is essentially attained by continuously automatically measuring and registering all parameters preferably determining a continuous operation and comparing them on the basis of the measurements with the predetermined required values. In case ofa deviation, conditioning devices which serve the technological parameters are correspondingly actuated, to regulate the actual value with reference to the predetermined required value.

The parameters which determine the technology of a continuous malting process consist in the predetermined weight of supply per time unit which must remain constant, the maintenance of preset temperatures in the individual sections of the washing device, the maintenance of predetermined temperatures and moistures in the soft-germinating range and the curing range and the provision of a predetermined water content in the soft-germinating process and at the end of each curing Zone.

A supply of goods of constant weight is attained according to the present invention by a combination of automatic weighing in a supply container and the regulation of the volume in a weighing device having a variable volume. This is attained in that after each completed filling of a supply container connected with the washing means, the filled weight of the container is registered by a measuring gauge. If the volume is constant, the weight will also indicate the weight per hectoliter and thus will determine the volume of the grains to be supplied per time unit to the plant. If the outgoing volume is constant, each measured weight of grains will correspond to a certain volume of the volume-regulating weighing device. The registering device for the weight of a supply container is calibrated to this comparative value. Each measurement of a deviating weight actuates a registering device which starts the operation of an actuating device which continues until the volume setting of the weighing device coincides with the registered weight. This provides a uniform predetermined supply of goods. Furthermore, according to the present invention the water for the pre and postwashing, as well as for the steeping container is always regulated to a predetermined temperature ranging between 8 and 35 C. The selected temperature is maintained by continuously measuring the temperature and comparing it with the required temperature. If the two values deviate from each other, a valve on the cold water side of a mixer is so operated that the container water of about 20 C. is regulated to the preset value.

The lye must be also maintained at a predetermined temperature ranging between 8 and 35 C. The commercially available, 50 percent soda lye is diluted with cold water in two steps to a concentration between 0.2 percent and 2 percent and is mixed with container water of 20 C. to a predetermined concentration located between 0.1 percent and l percent. This adjustment is carried out through a measuring device which continuously measures the lye flowing in concentration to the supply container of the wash and which regulates, depending upon the measured value, the supply of the water for the dilution of the lye to provide the required value. The temperature of the lye prior to its flow into the lye wash, which preferably should correspond to the water wash, is maintained by a heat exchanger. The temperature of the lye is measured prior to its flow into the lye wash. The measured value is used to regulate the required value of the heat exchanger.

The goods must be maintained at very precisely predetermined temperatures within the soft-germination range. In accordance with the present invention the measured temperature of the soft goods in case of its deviation from the preset value of preferably 14 C., is used to regulate the temperature of the goods by means of a wetting device. The entire wetting device has a mixing battery which supplies cold water to the container water of 20 C., until the mixture gets a temperature producing the desired temperature in the goods.

ln accordance with the present invention, if the measured temperatures of the germinating goods deviate from a preset value, which preferably rises during the germination from 14 to 18 C. and up to 20 C., these measured temperatures are regulated by aeration affecting the temperatures of the individual aeration zones. This is attained in that the air which is constantly lower tempered between 1 and 2 C., maintains the germination temperature in the individual sections by a regulation of the change in the amount of air. The tempera ture of the cooling air is maintained by small cooling devices for the individual zones of the germination section. The measured temperatures of air supplied to the individual zones, which are continuously determined under the cooling devices, are used to automatically regulate the required values through the output of cooling machines.

in accordance with the present invention the water content regulates the extent of moisture of the goods in the soft-germination section to produce the degree of softness fixed in accordance with the type and the year of the goods.

Values for the water content measured in the range of 45 to 55 hours are used to regulate the switching on and off of moisture supplies of the separate moisture zones in such manner that the predetermined degree of softness is attained. Furthermore, the drying of the goods which would detrimentally affect the germination and thus the output, is prevented by measuring the water content; the measured values of the water content during a period of 12 hours, starting with the 72 hours of the soft-germination process, are used to switch on rearwardly located spraying devices when these values are below the predetermined degree of softness of preferably 0.5 percent. The curing of the goods takes place with hot air. For predetermined water contents in the goods, only a certain maximum temperature of the dry air can be used. In accordance with the present invention these permissible temperatures are maintained by initially measuring the temperatures prior to the entry of air into the goods being cured. The measured values thus obtained must correspond to the preset values of hot air at the end of the heating zones.

The preferably selected four-zone curing device must maintain the selected temperatures of 45, 65, 80 and 84 C., for the four zones for the inflowing hot air. The preset values for the temperature of the hot air at the end of the heating zones are used to regulate by comparison with the actual values the extent of air-heating.

In accordance with the present invention the drying intensity is determined by the water content of the goods in the last third of the first curing zone of a preferably four-zone curing device. The measured value of the water content is used to regulate the amount of air which diminishes the water content of the degree of softness up to the end of the first curing zone to a value ranging between 20 percent and 22 percent.

In a similar manner, the measured values of the water content in the last third of each further curing zone are used to determine the speed of passage of the goods through the apparatus so as to lower the water content of 20 percent to 22 percent over l percent to 12 percent and 6 percent in the last curing zone to 4 percent. The amounts of air are kept at a constant value for each zone by taking into consideration the average air moisture of the sucked in air.

Since the selected procedure for washing and/or for the moisture ranges of the soft-germination zone requires temperatures over 20 C., the present invention provides two water containers for facilitating the regulating operation; one container has water of 20 C. while the other container has water of a temperature which is somewhat higher than the required highest temperature used in the entire process. The required conditions are then set by introducing cold water.

The requirements of the processes now in use are satisfied with one container with water of 20 C.

The malting process of the present invention can be applied partly to conventional prior art processes.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, showing by way of example and diagrammatically, an apparatus for carrying out the process of the present invention.

In the drawings:

HO. 1 illustrates diagrammatically the supplying and the washing section ofa plant.

H6. 2 illustrates diagrammatically the soft-germination section of the plant and the corresponding temperature scale.

FIG. 3 illustrates diagrammatically the curing section of the plant.

The goods to be malted are preserved in a container 1 (FIG. 1). From this container 1 the goods move through a volume dosing device 2 to a presoftening vessel 3 of the continuous malting plant.

In order to maintain the preset uniform drop weight of 1,200 kg. per hour, the operation of the volume-dosing device 2 is dependent upon the weight determined in the supple contuiner 1. Whenever the container 1 has reached its highest filling capacity. it is measured in a measuring device built into the bottom end of the container and the weight is indicated upon a scale calibrated in hectoliter weights. This indication constitutes the required value for regulating the correct volume corresponding to the hectoliter weight of the dosing device 2, so as to produce a continuous drop in the total 7 amount of 1,200 kg. per hour. Container 1 is also connected to closing device 2 by valve means la.

The goods move from the steeping or presoftening vessel 3 to the prewashing vessel 4, the lye-washing vessel 5 and the postwashing vessel 6. FIG. 1 numeral 3 indicates a container for the lye while numerals 9 to 11 indicate containers for mixing lye and water.

In order to use the washing means sparingly, the wash water is caused to flow from the water reserve container 7 through the postwashing vessel 6, the prewashing vessel 4 and the presoftening vessel 3, one after the other. The required temperature of 16 C. for the wash water is regulated by measuring the temperature after introducing old water into the reserve water of 20 C. The measured value regulates automatically the valve 7a for the flow of cold water so that the mixed water has the temperature of l6 C.

Cold soda lye required for the lye wash is regulated with an about 0.5 percent to 0.2 percent concentration by the addition of reserve water of20 C. The supply of cold water is regulated starting with a concentration measurement of the flowing 0.5 percent soda lye, by causing a measuring device 11a to actuate a regulatable valve 116 which opens the waterflow to such an extent that a 2 percent soda lye flows into the container 12. The lye is removed from the container 12 into the lye-washing vessel 5 depending upon requirements. The temperature of the lye is measured in the container 12. ll the temperature deviates from the required temperature of l5 C., the heat exchanger 13 is switched on until the required temperature is attained.

After the washing is completed, a slide moves the goods into the soft germinating section illustrated in FIG. 2. This section has several endless bands l4, 15, 16, l7, l8 and 19 which are interconnected by slides 6a. In this section the cleaned and prepared goods are wetted and are subjected to germination through separate temperature steps indicated in scale A. The wetting takes place primarily upon the band 14 and it serves at the same time to regulate the temperature in the goods. The temperature of the goods determines the amount of cold water added to the container water of 20 C. The regulation is effected by measuring the temperature of the goods. This measurement is used to regulate the inflow valve for the cold water, so that the temperature of the goods is maintained at l4 C., as indicated on the scale A.

The temperatures within the range of the bands 16 to 19 are regulated by the corresponding air blowers 24, 25, 26, and 27 The measured temperatures of the curing goods upon the bands 16 to 19 are used to regulate the outputs of the corresponding air blowers in such manner that the preset values of 15 C., for the band 16, l6 C. for the band 17, 17 C. for the band 18 18 C. to 20 C. for the band 19 are maintained; then the cooler 20 cools the air for the band 16 to 14.5 C., the cooler 21 cools the air for the band 17 to 15 C., the cooler 22 cools the air for the band 18 to 16 C. and the cooler 23 cools the air for the band 19 to 17 C. The cooling is regulated in that the measured temperatures of air behind the coolers are used to regulate the outputs of the individual coolers 20, 21, 22, 23 so that the above-mentioned required values are maintained.

The moisture content in the goods is of decisive importance for the correct malting. The preset degree of moisture of, for example, 43 percent, can be regulated only backwards for the subsequently following goods by the provided measuring devices 15a, 16a, 17a, 18a and 19a. The moistening devices 15b, 16b, 17b, 18b and 19b. are so set at the start that the degree of softness cannot be changed. The amount of water is measured in the time period of 10 hours from 45 to 55 hours consecutively with the aforesaid measuring devices. in which water initially attached to the grains has already been completely removed. The measured water content during the 45-hour period is used to switch on a regulator 17c of the moistening devices, provided that the degree of softness is exceeded. This switching arrangement constitutes a safety measure.

If the amount of water required by the degree of moisture is not reached during the 50-hour period, the measured water content is used to switch on a moistening device. This switching constitutes a fine regulation. Finally, the measured amount of water content during the 55-hour period can be used to switch on a second moistening device so that here also the degree of moisture should not drop below the required value.

The moistening devices b to 19b are fog producing moisteners.

In order to produce high malt quality, the moisture upon the bands l4, l5, 16 with a degree of softness of 43 percent must be maintained constant up to completion of the green malt upon the band 19. It is necessary to act against the drop in moisture of 1 percent or more which takes place upon the bands 16 to 19 while green malt is being produced. For this reason the water content in the germinating goods is measured every 12 hours beginning with the 72-hour period. When the degree of softness drops to more than 0.5 percent water content, the aforesaid moistening devices are actuated for the duration of the deviation.

Finally, the goods pass through the curing section shown in FIG. 3 wherein the goods are reduced to 4 percent water content, whereby the malt should not become glassy and should be subjected to specific inner chemical and chemical-physical reactions. These processes depend on temperatures determined by the water content in the goods. Therefore, it is important to provide a specific temperature for specific water contents.

The curing section is divided into four zones having corresponding endless bands 28, 29, 30 and 31.

Air transmitted from the air flowing devices 36, 37, 38 and 39 through the malt for the removal of water must have temperatures in the first zone up to 45 C., in the second zone up to 65 C., in the third zone up to 80 C. and in the fourth zone up to 84 C.

These temperatures are maintained by temperature regulators 32a, 33a, 34a, and 35a by using the measured temperatures of air prior to its entry into the malt goods in the zones of the bands 28 to 31 for setting the required temperatures of air after the heating zones 32, 33, 34 and 35. The measured temperature of air leaving the heating zones related to the required temperature, is used to regulate the output of the heating zones 32 to 25. The drop in water content in the zone 32 is greatly dependent upon the extent of airflow, in order to provide a drop in the water content of the goods in 4 hours to percent to 22 percent at predetermined constant air temperature of 45 C. The air blower 36 must be set, therefore, at an output corresponding to the average air moisture.

Each change in air conditions, which must be foreseen in a lesser or greater drying process, is balanced through the air blower 36. The measured value of the water content at one third form the end of the heating zone 32, regulates directly the extent ofthe airing.

A regulation of the speed of drying by changing the air blowing strength of the air blowers 37 to 39 is not possible, since below a water content of 20 percent to 22 percent, the movement of water from the interior of the grain to its outer surface at a constant temperature, is a function of time dependent upon the corn structure and is not determined any more by the relation of steam tension to air-grain outer surface. Therefore, the values measured at one third from the ends of the zones 33 to 35 are used to regulate the speed of the drives of the air blowers 37 to 39. The cured goods leaving the section of band 31 are guided by a slide to the malt-cleaning section.

It is apparent that the process and apparatus of the present invention are most suitable for a continuous maltin process, without, however, bemg limited thereto. By ma mg corresponding changes, the present invention can be also applied to a discontinuous process. All such and other variations and modifications are to be included within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for automatically operating and regulating a continuous malting process, comprising in combination, a container for dropping the goods to be malted, means connected with said container for continuously maintaining the same weight per hour of the dropped goods, a presoftening vessel receiving said goods, at prewashing vessel connected with said presoftening vessel, a lye-washing vessel connected with said prewashing vessel, a postwashing vessel connected with said lye-washing vessel, said goods moving consecutively through said vessels, a water container, means supplying water from said container consecutively in countercurrent to said goods through said postwashing vessel, said prewashing vessel and said presoftening vessel, a lye container, means comprising a heat exchanger and connected with said lye container and said lye-washing vessel for transmitting the lye solution from the lye container to the lye-washing vessel; a soft-germinating section having a plurality of endless bands, means connecting said postwashing vessel with one of said bands, slides consecutively interconnecting said bands, softnessdegree-measuring devices connected with said bands, moisture-supplying devices connected with said bands, coders connected with said bands and air blowers connected with said bands; and a curing section having a plurality of endless bands located one after the other, slide means of transmitting the goods from the soft-germinating section to one of the lastmentioned bands, other slides consecutively interconnecting the last-mentioned bands, heating means connected with the last-mentioned bands and dividing the curing section into a plurality of heat zones, and air blowers communicating with the last-mentioned bands.

2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first-mentioned means comprise means weighing the amount of goods in said container, a measuring device connected with said weighing means and a dosing device connected with said weighing means and said container for automatically regulating the amount of goods dropped from said container to a preset nonvariable value ofa specific amount ofkilograms per hour.

3. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said water container is adapted to contain water of 20 C., said apparatus having another water supply container adapted to contain water of a higher temperature, and a mixing device for mixing the water of the two containers.

4. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said coolers in the soft-germinating section regulate the air temperatures of air supplied to said elements, the output of said coolers depending upon difference between the actual temperatures and preset temperature values and the number of said coolers depending upon the number of said elements.

5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said softness-degree-measuring devices and said moisture-supplying devices regulate the water content of the goods which determines its degree ofsoftness to a range of 41 percent to 45 percent, whereby some of said moisture supplying devices are effective up to a 45-hour period of germinating and are then automatically switched off by said measuring devices, said measuring devices automatically actuating other moisturesupplying devices during l2 hours, starting with the 72-hour period of germinating when the measured degree of softness deviates from a preset degree of softness by a specific amount.

6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein said specific amount is 0.5 percent. 

2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first-mentioned means comprise means weighing the amount of goods in said container, a measuring device connected with said weighing means and a dosing device connected with said weighing means and said container for automatically regulating the amount of goods dropped from said container to a preset nonvariable value of a specific amount of kilograms per hour.
 3. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said water container is adapted to contain water of 20* C., said apparatus having another water supply container adapted to contain water of a higher temperature, and a mixing device for mixing the water of the two containers.
 4. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said coolers in the soft-germinating section regulate the air temperatures of air supplied to said elements, the output of said coolers depending upon the difference between the actual temperatures and preset temperature values and the number of said coolers depending upon the number of said elements.
 5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said softness-degree-measuring devices and said moisture-supplying devices regulate the water content of the goods which determines its degree of softness to a range of 41 to 45 percent, whereby some of said moisture supplying devices are effective up to a 45-hour period of germinating and are then automatically switched off by said measuring devices, said measuring devices automatically actuating other moisture-supplying devices during 12 hours, starting with the 72-hour period of germinating when the measured degree of softness deviates from a preset degree of softness by a specific amount.
 6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein said specific amount is 0.5 percent. 